Feed: a food systems podcast The future of food retail, made simple
Dec 11, 2025
Mike Barry, a former retail sustainability director and co-founder of Planetary Alliance, discusses the urgent need for food system transformation. He argues for simplification, advocating for shorter supply chains and fewer choices to enhance sustainability. Barry highlights the potential of AI and digital twins to model changes, promote lower-impact shopping habits, and ensure ethical data use. He also emphasizes the importance of diverse brand models like Bold Bean Co. that prioritize both taste and equity, while stressing simplification shouldn’t mean consolidation.
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No Clear Roadmap Slows Change
- The food system lacks clear bookends for transformation unlike power or auto sectors, which stalls decisive action.
- Incrementalism (1–3% improvements) won't meet needed yearly shifts of 5–15% toward sustainability.
Simplification As The Central Strategy
- Simplification is the single word Mike Barry believes will drive scalable food-system change.
- Reducing value-chain complexity and consumer choice overload makes systemic shifts manageable.
M&S Private-Label Control Example
- Mike Barry recounts M&S's private-label model that gave tight control over sourcing and standards.
- That control made it easier to shape sustainability early in the retailer's journey.